If he lost, he warned, he might just wash his hands of the whole
business and retire, perhaps to "write books and sign autographs."
Three rivals were vying for his job, which was without parallel in the
world: the chairmanship of the Communist bloc's only independent trade
union, Solidarity, whose 892 delegates assembled in Gdansk last week
for the second and decisive round of their national convention. As the
campaign grew bitter, Lech Walesa was assailed for his "dictatorial"
leadership style and his...